It's a big step out the back door: you've decided to build or remodel a patio. If it won't be the traditional concrete slab–or will be covering up an existing one–you'll need to choose materials that go beyond just looking good. A patio that's made to last must be built with materials that are strong and durable.

Whether working solo or with a landscape architect or contractor, the budget, size of the space, color, and architectural style of your home are going to influence the choice of materials. So is availability: local stones blend in with the surrounding environment and don't cost as much as harder-to-find materials that have to be shipped.

Safety and Surface Texture

Think about what the patio will be used for and who will use it when looking at materials. Flat, smooth, even surfaces are necessary for dining areas, living rooms, and for accessibility. Rough cobblestones and bumpy aggregate concrete pavers could cause someone to trip or impede the mobility of a person who uses a cane, walker, or wheelchair. Conversely, ultra- smooth surfaces like concrete or polished granite can become slippery when wet. Apply slip-resistant coatings to high-traffic surfaces that have the potential for becoming slick.

Consider Concrete

An attractive, cost-saving option is to use concrete pavers, which can be cast into a variety of sizes, shapes, and colors. Different textures and finishes can be applied to concrete, like rock salt, aggregate, faux finishes, etchings, stamping, and hand carving. Even objects as simple as brooms or rakes can create attractive textural surfaces.

Stone Options

Visit a local stone yard or supplier to discover what's available in your area; this is one of those things you need to see and touch up close to make a smart decision. Popular types of stone include:

Pathway to Pavers

San Francisco-based Envision Landscape Studio designed a stairway on a slope with graceful curves that create a sense of intrigue and mystery rather than a straight up-and-down path. Concrete steps are aligned with a low retaining wall to create a clean line before the steps take a curve and switch materials to ipe wood risers. The pavers are simple concrete squares, evenly spaced for a modern look and placed evenly into a bed of pea gravel. The ipe is finished with a mahogany wood stain for a rich warm hue.

Grid Pattern

A Philadelphia area backyard patio is set on a grid of 2 x 3-foot full-color flagstone in a bond pattern, which keeps the installation and looks simple, according to landscape designer ​Donald Pell.

"I love the simplicity of a grid in a juxtaposition of sweeping drifts of perennials," explains Pell. "I prefer simple paving details and the timelessness of using regional stone. I also always try to push patios and terraces out into the landscape so we can immerse the space in the romantic experience of a garden. The last thing I want is a patio set right up against the architecture of a house."

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Seattle Zen

Seattle-based landscape design/build firm Avalon Northwest excavated 6 inches, then installed and compacted a crushed rock subbase. From there, they added a sand setting bed, into which they laid the pavers and finished with concrete edging. The pavers that form the circle pattern are Old Dominion and the path is Roman Dominion from Mutual Materials. Blue star creeper edges the path and circular patio.

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Patio With a View of the Pacific

What once was an unkempt lawn in the hills of Malibu overlooking the Pacific was transformed into a lounge and entertaining space by Gregory Davis & Associates by laying Chocolate Flagstone with pea gravel to fill in the gaps.

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Memories of a Beautiful Design

A peaceful, exquisite patio and yard in the wine country city of Glen Ellen, California, featured select bluestone rectangles mortared over a concrete base. Heuttl Landscape Architecture designed the entire landscape, including the formed concrete water feature, low walls, and garden. Tragically, this property was destroyed in the devastating wildfires that struck the region in October of 2017.

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Bluestone Bands

The unique shape of this San Francisco area patio was created by Shades of Green Landscape Architecture using bands of bluestone with black pebbles. Grasses, succulents, and drought-tolerant perennials were planted around the perimeter for year-round beauty in the California climate.

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Portland Modern

Charcoal-hued pavers called Vancouver Bay by are tightly laid to form a clean, modern surface for a Tudor-style house in Portland, Oregon. Architect Risa Boyer designed the 2 x 4.5-foot fire pit herself, which is connected to an underground gas line. A vintage Mid-Century Modern child's chair and two butterfly chairs help modernize the outdoor space, along with a neutral grey-white-black color palette.

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Petite Plot in Minneapolis

A yard in Minneapolis is on a corner lot with limited space, creating a challenge for Southview Designs to maximize its potential. The solution: concrete pavers in walnut by Anchor, which are no longer available but similar to their current Charleston line. In addition to a garden, and dining set, there's also room for a mobile fire pit.

Corner Patio

The corner of a new yard in Portland, Oregon is accessible from the main patio via flagstone pavers placed across the lawn. The fire pit patio surface is also flagstone, which is available in colors ranging from white sandstone to Southwest pink/orange to black slate.

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Tucson Saltillo

The small patio of a Tucson, Arizona condo blends in with the surrounding landscape. Designed by Kathryn Prideaux, the surface is Saltillo, which is fired clay that is sealed for protection and longevity.

Interlocking Pavers

Interlocking pavers are becoming increasingly more popular because they are non-slip, easy to remove for repairs, and permeable, which allows the release of rainfall. They are made to resemble brick, stone, and other paving materials.

Private Patio

A Seattle backyard designed by Scot Eckley features an ashlar-pattern bluestone paver patio. The fireplace wall is covered with Boston ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata).

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Aggregate Pavers

Lisa Hallett Taylor

Round aggregate pavers were popular and readily available at hardware stores and nurseries in the 1950s and have been rediscovered by fans of Mid-Century Modern architecture and design. This Venice, California patio features mixed sizes of circular pavers embedded in a sea of pea gravel.

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Modern Mix

Lara Swimmer

The architectural firm Coates Design oversaw the interior and exterior remodel of a modern Washington home that features square concrete pavers with a trowel skim coat finish. Coates also made the cast-in-place concrete fire pit. The filler between the pavers is colored crushed marble.

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Pavers and Pergola

For a Burr Ridge, Illinois patio, Rolling Landscapes in Chicago used patterned bluestone in a range of sizes. The patio is dry-set on compacted gravel and sand and replaced an old "builder's special" deck that was long and narrow.

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Bluestone Paver Circle

Carol Heffernan

A circular conversation patio created by Heffernan Landscape Design is made using bluestone pavers, which are repeated throughout the landscape in paths and other areas that require hardscape.